Reading time: The whole day – 12 mins. Or scroll down to The Kaiser Chiefs section for a 6 minute read.
Me and my sister booked tickets to see the Kaiser Chiefs (supported by Life and Razorlight) in Birmingham (at Arena Birmingham, Sat Jan 25, 2020) back in June, as an early celebratory event for her upcoming birthday. I can’t say that i have really listened to KC much since my teen days, but my sister had seen them at various festivals in the past and recommended they’d be great to see. I did enjoy some of their earlier music, so i was more than happy to tag along, especially considering ticket prices were rather enticing.
1:50pm: We had arranged to set off at approximately 2:30pm, however our eagerness and anticipation to get on the road (and to increase chances of a parking spot) led us to leave much sooner. A last second decision to grab my thick coat would turn out to be a wise one. Into the car we climbed, as my sister set up her sat nav; destination loaded and an artival time of 4:08 had been estimated. In the meantime, i suggested we jam out to some KC on our travels, to give us an idea of some of the tunes we should be expecting in the night.
The forecasted conditions of overcast did not fail to deliver, with the clouds becoming much darker and thicker as we progressed along the M5. Firstly, it interrupted our views of the The Severn Bridge (a motorway suspension bridge that takes you across the border and into Wales), a view which is always the first major look out point during any trip north. Secondly, the stunning countryside haven which usually greets you as you enter the Midlands was virtually unseeable. The adventure along the 122 mile M5 route was stress free, nonetheless, with traffic running smoothly the whole distance. Even venturing into the busy streets of Birmingham was relatively painless (although people crossing busy roads and cars pulling out in front of you seemed the norm around here) and we made it to the parking complex without too much complication (although a white hummer we had seen earlier was now in front of us, clearly making a wrong turn towards the car park and almost hitting into us. It took sometime reversing away from the taxi rank it was blocking and the inevitable beeping of horns blared). The first parking spaces became available on the third level, not so bad at all, as my sister reversed into the most convenient space, and at 4:06 (two minutes shy of estimated arrival, high five sis!) we had reached our destination.
We scrambled out of the car, finally able to give our legs and back a nice stretch to relieve some of the uneasy posture that occurs during long car journeys. We followed our noses along the canal and into the heart of the action surrounding the area near the concert venue. It must have been symbolic that no sooner had we questioned where to eat, our eyes met ‘Wetherspoons’ on the side of a building just up ahead; nothing quite beats home comforts! This particular chain was called ‘Salmon and Cutler’, and we entered with hungry stomachs, quenching thirst. Clearly nightlife starts early in this area, the pub was booming and whilst we waited for a table to become available, we sipped our drinks and watched the football on the T.V. On my sister’s way to the toilet, she found a couple of unoccupied seats at a table which overlooked the majority of the pub. Ideal! We made ourselves cushty (are you sitting comfortably? Why, yes!) and proceeded to order our food. 10oz Gammon, eggs and jacket potato was just what the doctor ordered for me, as my sister opted for her favourite 11″inch pizza with customized toppings.
After a 45 minute wait (and my dissatisfied tummy leading me to question at the bar if they had forgotten our order) our food was brought to us, and the opportunity for a free pizza was turned away as they came with one too many. The people behind us were pleased, noticing we didn’t take the chance for free food as their pizza was finally delivered to their table. We tucked in, delightfully cutting into my delicious gammon as my sister chomped on her nicely decorated pizza. With the plates more or less emptied and some time to kill, we waited in the warmth of the pub, whilst watching the football on T.V. (Hull v Chelsea, which proceeded a couple of cheers earlier from me, my team winning 2-1!). Observing the pub was far more entertaining though. It was really enjoyable to watch the people come and go, the life and soul of different groups of people. The pub filled up and calmed down in scatters, but ultimately became much louder as time passed. There was a group of 20 something Brummie lasses singing ‘we love you Villa, we do!’, accomponied by a choir of ‘we got John McGinn!’ (an Aston Villa reference) by the lads just across from them. Meanwhile, a couple of beer-full-men joined the girls to spice things up a bit, ‘up the Albion!’ (a rival team), and now the pub was in full voice, the chanting raising the atmosphere within the pub to a level that never simmered. This annoyed the pub manager, who darted from behind the bar to warn the ‘John McGinn’ boys of their expressive behaviour (not the girls, though, who instigated the chanting…).
Also in the pub was a handful of girls celebrating a birthday, all dressed in leopard, except for one in red check who cleared missed the memo, and a bunch of lads getting on the jagas (getting pumped for their Krept and Konan concert at the other big venue in Birmingham, the O2). Finally, it just couldn’t be a Wetherspoons bar without a guy spilling his drink over himself or a young lady falling over, both happening within moments of each other.
6pm. Time soon passed, with me and my sister thoroughly entertained from the antics we had witnessed. We headed off for the less than ten minute walk to the venue, and after a quick heads up from a steward as to which entrance we should use, and with the shortest of queues, we made it inside. My sister was straight through the ticket scanner and detectors, but that luck did not carry onto me, and after a quick pat down and less than intimate cupping, i joined her in the merch and food component of the arena. It was relatively quiet at this stage, with support act ‘Life’ not kicking off until 6:50, but we were happy to find our seats and make ourselves at home with plenty of time to spare. With our seats found (Row JJ, 100, 101) at the right side of the arena, quite high up and with a decent view of the stage, we decided to take a walk around the surrounding parts of the complex, one last stretch of those legs. Declining the notion to purchase any KC merch, my sister had a craving for the pick & mix sweets stand that was proving to be extremely popular. No surprise, the selection was enormous, circling around a big stand which eventually led to the tills. The clever marketing technique here is that you fill your bag as you queue, ‘oh go on, just one more scoop’ was echoed by many as they moved closing to paying. My sister already knew she was ready to empty her bank account, upon first joining the queue we witness purchases of £18 and £24. This is just a bag of sweets, mind! With a few words of caution on the way round from me (you’re welcome), my sister had enough willpower to only collect £6.95’s worth, pretty good going on the grand scheme of things if you ask me! With thaaaat being said, i was happy to fork out £14 on two alcoholic slush puppies, a strawberry and raspberry gin for my sis, and a vodka alternative for myself (these were very refreshing, definitely worth the money, ahem). My sister caused an unknowing to her, slight nuisance just after, shipping £2.20 for a standard bottle of water….without a lid. Carefully balancing our drinks and belongings, we headed back to our seats, soaking up the atmosphere in excitement for what was to come.
LIFE
6.50pm: Right on schedule, the first support band made their way onto stage. ‘Life’, a post-punk band from Hull, consisting of four members, three male; “LIFE are everything you could possibly want from an artist – politically astute, angry, intelligent, gritty and air-punchingly brilliant” God is in the TV “Brilliant” The Guardian “LIFE combine inescapable energy with unshakeable hooks” is a brief description given by a quick google search. To be fair, they were quite good. I can certainly agree with the ‘inescapable energy and unshakeable hooks’ element, the music was face paced and catchy, whilst the male lead was buzzing around stage, probably in awe of playing in front of his biggest audience to date. His slightly awkward dance moves, and strong political lyrics (F### THE TORIES!!) were a little unnecessary, but overall i enjoyed their music and it was a fun-filled opening thirty minutes for the night.
RAZORLIGHT
7:50pm. After a half hour interval, Razorlight were next to don the stage, greeted by a rapture of cheering and applause; whilst the venue was perhaps only three quarters to capacity at this point, i can imagine many also came to see Razorlight, both them and KC went storming to the charts around the same time. In 2006, their hit song ‘America’ reached number one, accompanied by titles such as ‘In The Morning’ and ‘Before I Fall to Pieces’ which also recieved huge success in the charts. These were also the only three releases i had heard before, but i was quite fond of them so was ready to be pleasantly thrilled. Razorlight, fronted by vocalist Johnny Borrell, began their set with ‘Rip It Up’, a song which die-hard fans will recognise from their first ever album. They quickly got the crowd going, blasting out popular hit ‘In The Morning’, before returning to a couple of songs from their debut album in 2003, ‘Stumble and Fall’ and ‘Golden Touch’. They then shot forward in time to a more melodic tune in ‘Carry Yourself’, their last release from latest album ‘Olympus Sleeping’, before again returning to songs from their very beginning, ‘Vice’, ‘I Can’t Stop This Feeling I’ve Got’ and ‘In The City’. Following that was the more well known ‘Before I Fall To Pieces’, proceeded by two lesser known songs ‘Back To The Start’ and Don’t Go Back To Dalston’. The penultimate track was ‘Somewhere Else’, which hit the dizzying heights of number two back in 2005, before ending their act with their most well known song, ‘America’. There wasn’t really that much detail to go into between all of that. They were decent, sure, but other than their well known songs, i couldn’t really get my head bopping too much; their performance was hands down upstaged by what was to come. So, without further adieu, onto the main event….
KAISER CHIEFS
9:10pm. ‘Kaiser Chiefs’, an English indie-rock band hailing from Leeds, consisting of five band members including lead vocalist Ricky Wilson, came roaring onto the scene back in 2005. Smash hits such as ‘Oh My God’, ‘I Predict A Riot’ and ‘Everyday I Love You Less And Less’ from their debut album ‘Employment’, all climbed into the top 10 of the UK top 40. Their next album release, ‘Yours Truly, Angry Mob’, featured the number one anthem ‘Ruby’, and aggressive but well known single ‘The Angry Mob’. Since the deliverance of the latter, they’ve released five albums between 2008 and 2019. These have all gone under the radar somewhat, sadly, and the single ‘Never Miss A Beat’ is the only to hit the top 30 in the charts, scoring number five.
Like the two acts previously, they were on stage slap-bang on time. A huge reception welcomed them, as the venue was now almost full to the brim. Our seats were perfect for an overall visual of the whole arena, and it did look very impressive at its maximum peak. The first thing i noticed was their excellently designed set and costume. The curtains drew up and a backdrop of ‘KAISER CHIEFS’ was lit up in big ever-colour changing LED bulbs and a hand-made built building called ‘Duck’ (a nod to their newest album of the same name) was accompanied by all five band members standing on top, making a strong and pleasing visual to the eye. The ‘Duck’ building was placed nicely alongside a big screen, which displayed plenty of colourful motions during the performances of their songs, and lead member Ricky Wilson was dressed in a powerful white and black attire which fitted in well with the layout.
Their ensemble began with their most recent song, ‘People Know How To Love One Another’, only one of two tracks released from the 2019 aforementioned album ‘Duck’. This was a very upbeat start to their proceedings, a very fast, catchy tune, guided by exuberant animations on the big screen. They followed this up with another title from the same album, ‘Golden Oldies’, reminding a large portion of the grown up audience, that they are all indeed, golden oldies. Their third performance of the night was ‘Na Na Na’ arguably their fastest moving song which instantly gave me ‘QOTSA – Go With The Flow’ vibes. Ricky got the crowd involved for the first time, allowing them to join in the lyrics, which were surprisingly easy ‘Na na na na na’…well you get my point! After that, 2005 hit ‘Everything Is Average Nowadays’ bellowed around the arena, before a slightly heavier, but just as head-boppy rendition of 2014 track ‘Factory Gates’ got the crowd buzzing.
Just as we were all adrenaline pumped, the performance took a slightly more sombre turn. This was to the delight of the standing fans in the middle of the floor, though, as Ricky made his way through the flock of supporters to the centre, where a small stage had been set, consisting of one lamppost. Here, they played two newer releases in the form of ‘Parachute’ and ‘Target Market’. These songs were more low key, but nevertheless just as enjoyable. This was helped by a camera on the end of Ricky’s microphone, which projected his mugshot onto the big screen; You felt a real connection to both songs this way, as you captured the more emotional vocals perfectly. Following this, he pulled one lucky female fan up onto the stage with him. After a bit of banter with her and the crowd, jokingly admitted he could get free merch t-shirts (she paid £20 for hers!), they proceeded to play a game to determine which song to perform next. The fan was met with a pool of ducks (a reference to their new album) and a fishing rod, for a game of hook-the-duck. Fortunately, this didn’t last too long as her ducking skills were far above average, grabbing a duck within ten seconds. ‘Thank you Very Much’ was selected, a track from their ‘Yours Truly, Angry Mob’ album, which hadn’t been played live since 2017. After more interaction with the fan and crowd, the song got underway, although from their high standards it was probably my least favourite one of the night.
Ricky made his way back to the main stage, and ‘Coming Home’, their only track to reach the top 40 since 2014, was played and this began to get the blood flowing once more. Banging anthem ‘Everyday I Love You Less and Less’ was next up, and here the first mosh pit was created. Aided by cool strobe lighting effects and stringy material launched into the crowd, the party really began to get into full swing. This perhaps peaked with the addition of the next song, ‘Ruby’, their only number one hit in history. I was having a great time, every detail of the performance coming together to produce a masterful display of the arts. ‘Wait’, ‘Modern Way’ and ‘Northern Lights’ were the next trio of songs to hit the audiences delighted ears, a trio which wasn’t quite as adrenaline fueled, but nevertheless extremely catchy. A more grungy title in ‘Never Miss A Beat’, their second highest chart effort was up next, before ‘Don’t Just Stand There, Do Something’ from 2019, blasted around the arena.
As the performance was drawing to an end, they unleashed energy fuelled hits ‘I Predict A Riot’, which of course, started a riot in the mosh pit, and ‘Angry Mob’. At this point, the lighting was insane, the singing was sharper, the drums were heavier, it was impossible not to be having a good time! They seemed to have said their goodbyes, leaving the main stage to go and sit, chill out on top of the building. The hyped up crowd began to leave, in small gatherings. I thought that was it, too, but much to my delight, they came back out for an encore. Sure enough, the fans were ecstatic! They performed three final songs, two of them upbeat melodies in ‘Record Collection’ and ‘Hole In My Soul’ which had an addictively good chorus. Their last act was ironically, their very first release back in 2005. ‘Oh My God’, a comparison to most of the audiences reaction; “‘Oh My God i can’t believe how good KC are” or ‘”Oh My God please don’t ever leave the stage”.
10:20pm: The main lighting lit up the entire arena, and we knew it was time to collect our belongings and slowly make our way to the exits. Perhaps one last moment to soak in the atmosphere, one last memory of what was just witnessed! A slow but steady human-traffic-filled walk back to the car greeted us (i let out a chuckle as vendors were selling their t-shirts cheaper and cheaper the further we moved from the venue) as we hopped in the car to chill out for the first time in hours. It took about half an hour for the car park to empty, making a late night even later. A quick toilet stop at the first service station (i hadn’t broke the seal all night. Not gonna lie, it felt good!) before the two hour poke back home. We played ‘Life’ through Spotify, which definitely kept us awake, however they sound much better live.
2:00am: We made it ho..zzzzzz.
MindOverMatt 